November 15, (THEWILL) – A 21-year-old Nigerian lady, Itunu Babalola, has died after contracting deadly infection in an Ivorian prison.
According to reports, Babalola from Oyo State was a trader based in Bondoukou, Côte d’Ivoire. She was wrongfully jailed after her apartment was bugged by a relative of an Ivorian police officer.
Her apartment had been burgled in September 2019 and she had reported the incident to the police but DPO informed her that the suspect was his nephew.
The Police officer had reportedly offered her N100,000 as settlement to drop the case, an amount lesser than the N300,000 worth of stolen effects she claimed.
Babalola was subsequently arrested after she refused the settlement, charged to court for human trafficking and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
A journalist, David Hundeyin, had shared the story of Babalola on Twitter in March 2021 and the Nigerians In Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) had said it was working to prove the innocence of Babalola.
NIDCOM, headed by Abike Dabiri-Erewa, had confirmed that the lady was charged and incarcerated for a crime she knew nothing about.
“Following painstaking investigations by the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission and the Nigeria Mission in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, it is now confirmed that Itunu Babalola, a Nigerian living in Abidjan was wrongfully charged and incarcerated for a crime she did not commit.
“Plans are underway to engage the services of a legal luminary to prove the innocence of Itunu Babalola at the Court of Appeal after the accused had spent two years out of a ten-year jail term for an offence she did not commit”, NIDCOM had promised in a statement.
However, Hundeyin, who had been following the case, on Sunday night gave serial updates that Babalola’s contracted an infection in the Ivorian prison.
The journalist uploaded photos of the young lady in an emergency situation being attended to on a stretcher by medical personnel.
Hundeyin subsequently announced hours later that the young lady, Itunu Babalola, had died.
In a series of tweets, David Hundeyin wrote: “I have just received a message from Cote d’Ivoire about Itunu Babalola. She is still in prison in Abidjan where she has contracted a serious infection and apparently she is dying. All those promises by NIDCOM, Abike Dabiri, OYSG (Oyo State Government) etc – audio.
“She’s finally dying. She’s finally dying. Well done to the Nigerian government. Well done to NIDCOM (Nigerians in Diaspora Commission) and everyone responsible for this, another young Nigerian is biting the dust. Round of applause for all of you.
“Write a federal petition, do a thread with 15,000 retweets, Engage with the government, do an investigative story. Even travelled illegally to Cote d’Ivoire in a canoe to gather facts.
“Nothing we have not done to try to save this girl’s life but we come from Nigeria. Eight months of effort, 8 months of ‘Uncle David God bless you, eight months of hoping for Nigeria to prove me wrong FOR ONCE’.
“It’s all over Itunu is dead. She died tonight, just confirmed.”
Her death came eight months after NIDCOM promised to ensure justice was served on the matter and secure Babalola’s freedom, but remained behind bars.
